Cooter Davenport (Ben Jones)
Cooter Davenport is a fictional character from the American TV show The Dukes of Hazzard. He was played by Ben Jones. General Information Cooter was the mechanic in the fictional Hazzard County, in Georgia. He owned the Hazzard County Garage in Hazzard County Square, directly across from the Police Department and the County Bank. Sometimes called "Crazy Cooter" (his CB handle), he was a wild and scruffy-looking man, usually seen in sleeveless shirt, filthy blue jeans, and a well-worn ball cap. He maintained a steady business, mainly because the Duke boys were constantly damaging their car, the General Lee and ultimately eventuating the wreckage of the county patrol cars as well (as Cooter once pointed out, following the Dukes around is guaranteed to increase his business). Everything from a new door or bumper to a simple wash and wax cost $35.42. Cooter was also an "honorary Duke", as he was the best friend of the family and he regularly assisted them in foiling Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. Cooter also owns a small farm,It is only ever seen in one second season episode, ??? however, he spends most of his time at his garage, and many episodes suggest he also lives there. It has also been implied that Cooter often lives out of his truck. Though Cooter would not start a fight without good reason, he does enjoy a good fight (being quite a good fighter, himself, Cooter rarely loses a fair fight). Cooter and the General Lee Cooter actually helped in restoring the General Lee from a wrecked black 1969 Dodge Charger.This was revealed in the Season 7 episode, "Happy Birthday General Lee" He was also the supplier of its unique orange paint (it was all that he had, in a quantity sufficient enough to paint a car with). It is also suggested that it was he who supplied the famous "Dixie" horn. Cooter's Vehicles Cooter drove a variety of trucks. In the first season, he drove a brown 1969 Chevy C-10 tow truck. In the second season he drove a blue and white 1967 Ford F-350 Custom tow truck, and he also had a blue 1968 Chevy pickup. In the third season and half of the fourth season, he drove a yellow 1979 Ford F-350 Custom tow truck. In the latter half of the fourth season and rest of the series, he drove a blue and white 1968-72 GMC C-Series tow truck. Trivia * Bill Gribble portrayed Cooter in the 1975 film Moonrunners (the precursor to The Dukes of Hazzard). Beyond the name, there is little similarity. * Ben Jones was in Moonrunners. He protrayed 'Fred the revenue agent' after Uncle Jesse and the cousins. *David Koechner portrayed Cooter in the 2005 film The Dukes of Hazzard. * Joel Moore portrayed Cooter in the TV film The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning. * In the 1997 television movie The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!, it was revealed that Cooter had gone on to become a congressman (the same as actor Ben Jones had done in real life). * Cooter Davenport inspired the name of Mississippi punk rock band The Cooters. * During the second season (1979–1980), Ben Jones boycotted the show due to a dispute with the producers: they wanted the character to be clean shaven, whereas Jones had grown a full beard. As a result, Jones left the show for several episodes and it was explained in the series that Cooter was out of town. Filling in for Cooter at the garage during his absence were his cousins, B.B. Davenport (in only one appearance, played by Mickey Jones), and L.B. Davenport (played by Ernie W. Brown). Eventually, an agreement was reached - Jones would appear clean-shaven, and the character returned to the show with the episode "Treasure of Hazzard", (1980). (However, for continuity reasons, with the episodes being broadcast in a different order to that which they were produced, Cooter did not appear clean-shaven until the start of the third season.) Gallery Image:Cooter_(reunion)_2.png| The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) Image:Cooter_(reunion).png| Cooter winning election The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) Image:‎Cooter_(Hollywood).png| The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood! (2000) Related links * Ben Jones at the Internet Movie Database See Also * Cooter Davenport (David Koechner) * Cooter Davenport (Joel Moore) References Category:Dukes of Hazzard (TV Series) Category:Original Dukes of Hazzard Characters